Christmas Tree in West Berlin
Dec. 24, 1961. The holiday season offers stark symbols of a divided city, with a Christmas tree in the West standing opposite a watch tower in the East. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berl... more
Christmas Eve 1961
On Christmas Eve 1961, West Berliners wave to loved ones on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical ... more
East Germans Sign
Dec. 8, 1961. East Germans install a sign urging the West to work for peace and understanding and to accept a Soviet peace proposal for addressing the division of Germany. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: B... more
Prinzen-Heinrich Heine-Strasse Border Crossing
Dec. 5, 1961. A truck squeezes through the expanded barricades at the Prinzen-Heinrich Heine-Strasse border crossing. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, vis... more
Friedrichstrasse Crossing Point
Dec. 4, 1961. American soldiers watch as construction workers, heavily guarded by East German security forces, build a massive stone barricade at the Friedrichstrasse crossing point in East Berlin. From the boo... more
Checkpoint Charlie
Dec. 4, 1961. Under the eye of East German soldiers and police officers, construction workers install a tank barrier on the eastern side of Checkpoint Charlie. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of ... more
East German Police Tear Up Train Tracks
December 1961.The East German police tear up train tracks leading to West Berlin after 25 people escaped across the border. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more informatio... more
West Berliners
Nov. 30, 1961. As the holiday season approaches, West Berliners try to stay in contact with friends in East Berlin by waving to them across the border. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berl... more
East Germans Build New Wall
Nov. 20, 1961. East Germans build a new wall designed to protect the Brandenburg Gate from a Western attack. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's ... more
East German Guard Workmen
November 1961. In full battle dress, East German troops guard workmen behind the screen who are reinforcing the Berlin Wall. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more informati... more
East Germans Fortify Border
November 1961. East Germans fortify the border at the Brandenburg Gate, expanding the concrete wall and adding a barbed-wire fence. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more i... more
East Germany Border Defenses
Nov. 20, 1961. East Germany strengthens its border defenses by building two rows of tank barriers at Potsdamer Platz in East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more i... more
East German Soldier at Lindenstrasse
Nov. 20, 1961. An East German soldier guards the border at Lindenstrasse as workers install trenches, rails and a new concrete wall that will run from the Brandenburg Gate to Friedrich Strasse. From the booklet... more
East German Anti-Tank Fortifications
Nov. 20, 1961. With armed guards looking on, East German workers set up anti-tank fortifications on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall after the confrontation between U.S. and Soviet tanks at Checkpoint Charli... more
East German Propaganda
Nov. 20, 1961. A sign in East Berlin declares, “Whoever attacks us will be destroyed,” an example of the East German propaganda posted along the border to intimidate the West. From the booklet "A City Torn Apar... more
East German Police Officer
Nov. 18, 1961. An East German police officer patrols the border near Kreuzbergstrasse. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collection... more
East Berliners
Oct. 28, 1961. Curious East Berliners look on as Soviet tanks pull out after the 17-hour standoff at Checkpoint Charlie. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, ... more
American Soldier at Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 28, 1961. An American soldier monitors the movements of Soviet tanks during the confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information,... more
Soviet Tanks Leave Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 28, 1961. Soviet tanks move out after a show of strength as the standoff at Checkpoint Charlie comes to an end. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visi... more
U. S. Tanks at Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 27, 1961. On the western side of the border at Checkpoint Charlie, U. S. tanks stand guard as the face-off with the Soviets continues into the night. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Be... more
Soviet Tanks near Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 28, 1961. Soviet tanks near Checkpoint Charlie sit about 500 feet from the border with West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Hist... more
Soviet Tanks near Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 27, 1961. Soviet tanks gather near Checkpoint Charlie where they engage in a tense face-off with U.S. tanks positioned on the western side. From "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more i... more
Soviet T-4 Tanks at Friedrichstrasse
Oct. 27, 1961. During the confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie, Soviet T-4 tanks move to the border at Friedrichstrasse. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, v... more
U. S. Military Police Escort U. S. Diplomats
Oct. 26, 1961. Members of the U. S. Military Police escort U. S. diplomats through barriers as they cross into East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more informatio... more
East German Reinforcements
Oct. 26, 1961. In a belated show of strength, an East German personnel carrier brings reinforcements to the border, where they line up across Friedrichstrasse facing East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn A... more
U.S. Convoy Crosses into West Berlin
Oct. 26, 1961. East German police officers allow the U.S. convoy to cross the border into West Berlin unchallenged. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit... more
U.S. Military Police Escort U.S. Diplomats
Oct. 26, 1961. U.S. Military Police jeeps prepare an escort for U.S. diplomats trying to return from East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit C... more
U.S. Military Police
Oct. 26, 1961. U.S. Military Police jeeps move in to help U. S. diplomats who were stopped at the border while returning from East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For ... more
U.S. Tank at Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 26, 1961. A U.S. tank stands guard at the border, indicated by the white line, as a car carrying U.S. diplomats returns from East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." ... more
Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 26, 1961. After initially being stopped at the border, U.S. diplomats are escorted into East Berlin by the U. S. Military Police. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more... more
Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 26, 1961. East German soldiers at Checkpoint Charlie stop a car carrying U.S. diplomats into East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA'... more
Checkpoint Charlie
Oct. 25, 1961. U. S. tanks move up to Checkpoint Charlie following a dispute with East Germany over American access to East Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known ... more
East German Loudspeakers
Oct. 25, 1961. Loudspeakers project propaganda across the wall into West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections webp... more
West Berlin Factory
Oct. 6, 1961. A view of a West Berlin factory on the border with East Berlin. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the factory’s workers were blasted with Soviet propaganda from loudspeakers on the eastern side of the Berl... more
Prinzenstrasse in East Berlin
Oct. 14, 1961. A sign on a building on Prinzenstrasse in East Berlin reads, "Defending the DDR is Defending Peace," a reference to the abbreviation for the German Democratic Republic or East Germany. From the b... more
East German Construction Workers
Oct. 13, 1961. East German construction workers raise the height of the Berlin Wall to further obstruct views from the West. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more informat... more
East German Masons
Oct. 13, 1961. East German masons work to heighten the wall between East and West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collecti... more
East Berlin
Oct. 10, 1961. Pedestrians in East Berlin glance at East German soldiers near the corner of Heidelbergerstrasse and Elsenstrasse. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more info... more
East German Girl
October 1961. A little girl in East Germany looks through the wire at friends in the Western enclave of Steinstücken. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, vis... more
Willy Finder
Oct. 7, 1961. East German Willy Finder jumps into a net held by residents of West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collecti... more
Michael Finder and Willy Finder
Oct. 7, 1961. Four-year-old Michael Finder of East Germany is tossed by his father into a net held by residents across the border in West Berlin. The father, Willy Finder, then prepares to make the jump himself... more
Margarthe Finder
Oct. 7, 1961. As her husband watches, Margarthe Finder prepares to escape East Germany by jumping across the border into a net held by West Berliners. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin... more
East Germany
Oct. 6, 1961. The site where two young East German men attempted a nighttime crossing of the Spree River in hopes of escaping into West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall."... more
East Germans
Oct. 5, 1961. An East German civilian carries bugging devices and cameras to monitor anyone close to the barbed wire border with West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." F... more
Klemkestrasse
Oct. 20, 1961. Single family houses being demolished at Klemkestrasse on the eastern side of the border between East and West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more ... more
East Germans
October 1961. East Germans continue to clear the land flanking the eastern side of the border, burning what’s left of the houses that were razed to provide a clear line of fire at anyone seeking to cross into W... more
East German Soldiers
October 1961. Young East German soldiers line up for roll call before resuming their work clearing the “death strip” on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the ... more
U. S. Army Helicopter
October 1961. A U. S. Army helicopter makes a daily survey of the East German labor battalions along the border between East and West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." F... more
West German Police
October 1961. Two West German police officers scramble to pick up an East German tear-gas grenade and throw it back. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visi... more
East German Police
October 1961. An East German police officer prepares to throw a tear-gas grenade, as West Berliners jeer in the background. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more informatio... more
Children in East and West Berlin
October 1961. Children keep their friendship across the barbed wire border between East and West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Hist... more
West Berliners
October 1961. West Berliners watch as East Germans prepare the “death strip,” a stretch of land along the eastern side of the Berlin Wall that was cleared to give guards an unobstructed view of anyone seeking t... more
West Berliners
October 1961. West Berliners wave to friends across the border, casting shadows on the wall that divides them. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA'... more
West Berliners
October 1961. West Berliners look over the border at loved ones left behind in East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collec... more
East German Guards
October 1961. East German guards put up panels along the border to shield their activities from West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's ... more
East German Soldiers
October 1961. East German soldiers use guard dogs to track down individuals attempting to escape to West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CI... more
East German Police
October 1961. East German police officers guarding the border zone, as seen through a hole in the Berlin Wall at the intersection of Zimmerstrasse and Markgrafenstrasse. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Bui... more
East German House Demolition
October 1961. East German workers tear down a house on the border with West Berlin, removing cover for those trying to escape to the West. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." Fo... more
East German House Demolition
October 1961. Workers demolish East German houses in the new border area between East and West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Histor... more
East German Construction Workers
Sept. 28, 1961. Heavily guarded East German construction workers demolish train tracks leading into West Berlin at Wornholmer Strasse. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more... more
East German Police
Sept. 24, 1961. As residents of Bernauer Strasse are forcibly evacuated from their homes, the East German police use mirrors to blind reporters and photographers in the West. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart... more
Removing Furniture in East Berlin
Early September 1961. Trucks line up for the removal of furniture from houses that are scheduled for demolition near the border at Bernauer Strasse in East Berlin, part of the effort to provide East German bord... more
East Germany
Sept. 24, 1961. East Germany mandates the destruction of houses along the border at Klauke-Strasse to eliminate cover for refugees crossing to the West. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berl... more
East German Police
September 1961. East German police hand a banner reading, "Down with West German Militarism! Give us a peace treaty!" From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, vi... more
Constructing Berlin Wall
Sept. 18, 1961. Construction of the wall dividing Berlin continues day and night. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections webp... more
President Kennedy and Gen. Clay
Sept. 16, 1961. President John. F. Kennedy holds a meeting at the White House with Gen. Lucius D. Clay, his representative in Berlin in 1961 and 1962. Gen. Clay was the military governor of the U.S. Zone in Ger... more
Propaganda Sign in East Berlin
Sept.15, 1961. A propaganda sign in East Berlin proclaims: “Building our socialism goes on.” From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Coll... more
West Berliner
Sept. 13, 1961. A West Berliner on the banks of Landwehr Canal looks across a double barbed-wire fence into East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, ... more
East German Soldiers
Sept. 6, 1961. Standing with his daughters, a man asks East German soldiers for information about his wife. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's H... more
West Berliners
Sept. 16, 1961. West Berliners wave to friends and family across the Berlin Wall. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections webp... more
West Berliners
Sept. 3, 1961. A West Berliner peeps through a hole into East Germany. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections webpage (www.ci... more
West Berliners
Early September 1961. Two West Berliners show their babies to family members on the other side of the Berlin Wall. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit ... more
Body of East German Refugee
Early September 1961. Police and firemen retrieve the body of a refugee who was shot and killed while trying to escape to West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more... more
East German Soldiers
Early September 1961. East German soldiers turn away a couple trying to cross the border into West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's ... more
Leipziger Strasse
Late August 1961. At the Leipziger Strasse thoroughfare near the border with West Berlin, East German tanks line up to head off possible trouble from East Berliners. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Buildin... more
A Family Separated
Late August 1961. With a goodbye bouquet and clinging hands, a family separated by the border says farewell. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's ... more
An East German Mother
Late August 1961. An East German mother, who just passed her son to her husband in West Berlin, cries as she looks across the border at her husband and son in West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: ... more
A Mother in East Berlin
Late August 1961. With the East German police looking the other way, a mother in East Berlin hands her young son across the border to his father. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wal... more
East Berlin Border
Late August 1961. A worker spreads chemicals to kill weeds and to provide a clear line of fire for the East German guards watching the border for anyone seeking to escape to West Berlin. From the booklet "A Cit... more
East German Soldiers
Late August 1961. East German soldiers carry a post for the barbed wire fence being erected along the East and West Berlin boarder. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more in... more
East German Soldiers
Late August 1961. Two East German soldiers dig holes for a new barbed wire fence near Potsdamer Platz. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Histor... more
East German Guard
Late August 1961. An East German guard jumps to freedom in West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections webpage (www.c... more
East German Guard
Late August 1961. An East German guard jumps to freedom in West Berlin. From the booklet, "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit the CIA's Historical Collections page (w... more
East Berliners
Aug. 26, 1961. While West Berliners distract the East German guards, a few lucky East Berliners make it over the fence to freedom. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more inf... more
East German Police
Late August 1961. An East Berliner is seized by the East German police as he attempts to escape to the West. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's ... more
East German Soldier
Late August 1961. An East German soldier stands guard on the border with West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections... more
U. S. Tank
Late August 1961. West Berliners look on as a U. S. tank guards the Freidrichstrasse border crossing. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Histori... more
British Military Police
Late August 1961. British military police officers look across the border into East Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collec... more
British Patrol Car and East German Armored Vehicle
Late August 1961. A British patrol car passes an East German armored vehicle on a street straddling West and East Berlin. The border runs between the two vehicles. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building... more
Friedrich Strasse-Zimmer Strasse Intersection
Aug. 24, 1961. A U. S. tank and an armored personnel carrier are parked at the Friedrichstrasse-Zimmerstrasse intersection, which is bisected by the East and West Berlin border. From the booklet "A City Torn Ap... more
U. S. Tank
Aug. 23, 1961. A U. S. tank stationed in the Prinzen Platz, West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections webpage (www.... more
Vice President Johnson, West Berlin Mayor Brandt and Col. Glover S. Johns Jr.
Aug. 20, 1961. With Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson looking on, West Berlin Mayor Willi Brandt welcomes Col. Glover S. Johns Jr. and the First Battle Group, 18th Army, U. S. Infantry. From the booklet "A City ... more
Vice President Johnson and Col. Glover S. Johns Jr.
Aug. 20, 1961. During his visit to West Berlin, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson greets Col. Glover S. Johns Jr., commanding officer of the First Battle Group, 18th Army, U. S. Infantry. From the booklet "A Cit... more
First Battle Group, 18th Army, U. S. Infantry
Aug. 20, 1961. West Berliners welcome the arrival of American reinforcements from the First Battle Group, 18th Army, U. S. Infantry. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more i... more
First Battle Group, 18th Army, U. S. Infantry
Aug. 20, 1961. American reinforcements, drawn from the First Battle Group, 18th Army, U. S. Infantry, arrive in West Berlin during Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's visit. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: ... more
Vice President Johnson in West Berlin
Aug. 20, 1961. Accompanied by a young refugee from East Germany, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson greets the crowds at the Marienfelde Refugee Camp during his visit to West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Tor... more
Vice President Johnson in West Berlin
Aug. 20, 1961. A crowd swarms around Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during his tour of West Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Histor... more
Vice President Johnson in West Berlin
Aug. 19, 1961. Just days after the Berlin border closed, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson flies to West Berlin to signal American support for the city. An honor guard of West German and U. S. troops welcomes hi... more
West Germans Demonstrating
Aug. 16, 1961. A bird's eye view of West Germans protesting the division of Berlin. From the booklet "A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall." For more information, visit CIA's Historical Collections we... more
West Berlin Demonstration
Aug. 16, 1961. An estimated 250,000 people turn out in West Berlin to denounce the sealing off of the East Zone and to hear West Berlin Mayor Willi Brandt compare the move to Adolf Hitler's occupation of the Rh... more